Tesla held talks with Germany, Netherlands over new factory – report

MODEL S. A Tesla model S sits parked outside of a new Tesla showroom and service center in Red Hook, Brooklyn on July 5, 2016 in New York City. Photo by Spencer Platt/AFP

WASHINGTON, USA – Electric automaker Tesla has held talks with officials from Germany and the Netherlands about building its first major factory in Europe, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Tesla held talks with two German states on hosting a "Gigafactory" – which would construct both cars and batteries – and has also discussed building the factory in the Netherlands, the newspaper said, citing officials.

Last month, Tesla revealed plans to build a factory in Shanghai that would dramatically increase its notoriously constrained production capacity.

The automaker has been looking to expand into global markets, plans that faced a potential threat from intensifying trade frictions and US President Donald Trump's push to keep manufacturing jobs at home. – Rappler.com